When you're grocery shopping, you read ingredients lists to make sure you know what you’re putting into your body. The same should be true for skincare products. Considering that the skincare industry is not regulated by the FDA, being mindful of what goes on your skin can help you avoid unnecessary or harmful ingredients.

As a physician, I’ve seen the studies that show how natural ingredients like soy, lycopene and green tea have been proven to be beneficial to the skin. And did you know that aloe vera, tea tree oil, and prickly pear reduce redness? Ingredients you may have never heard of such as Kojic acid and paper mulberry can actually help lighten the skin, while witch hazel and papaya combat oily skin.

To become a decisive and smart skincare consumer, print out the list of ingredients below and take it with you when you shop for skincare products. Every skincare manufacturer (there are dozens) has a different proprietary formulation, so finding the product that works best for you will still take some trial and error. And of course, you can always consult me or any member of the Innovative Aesthetics staff. If the label at least includes the ingredients listed below, you know you're on the right track.

TOPICAL INGREDIENTS THAT HAVE A KNOWN BENEFIT TO THE SKIN

• Alpha-lipoic acid
• Argireline
• Curcumin
• Ellagic acid
• Fibroblast growth factors
• Green tea
• Hexapeptide
• Hypericin
• Idebenone
• Lutein and Lycopene
• Niacinamide
• Pentapeptides
• Picnoginol
• Retanyl palmitate
• Retinol
• Retinyl propionate
• Rosmarnic acid
• Silymarin
• Soy
• Ubiquinone
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E

AGENTS TO IMPROVE OR DIMINISH REDNESS

• Alantoin
• Aloe vera
• Bisabolol
• Evening primrose
• Ginkgo Biloba
• Green tea
• Panthenol
• Prickly pear
• Tea tree oil
• St. John’s wort
• Saw palmetto

AGENTS TO DECREASE PIGMENTATION

• Aloesin
• Arbutin
• Ascorbic acid
• Azelaic acid
• Glabridin
• Glycolic acid
• Hydroquinone
• Kojic acid
• Niacinamide
• Paper mulberry
• Retinol
• Soy

AGENTS TO TREAT OILY SKIN

• Niacinamide
• Papaya
• Retinol
• Salicylic acid
• Soy
• Witch hazel

TO TREAT ACNE

• Glycolic acid
• Lactobionic acid
• Niacinamide
• Retinol
• Salicylic acid
• Retinol
• Retinyl palmitate
• Zinc

BENEFICIAL INGREDIENTS IN MINERAL MAKEUP

• Bismuth
• Bismuth oxychloride
• Chromium oxide green
• Iron oxide
• Kaolin clay
• Manganese violet
• Mika
• Oxychloride
• Titanium dioxide
• Ultramarine blue
• Zinc oxide

Check back next week when I post a blog entry about skincare ingredients to avoid.

 Categoried under:  Aesthetics Safety